Stone Age surgery: the earliest evidence of amputation found

The findings, published in the journal Nature, describe the skeletal remains of a young adult found in a cave in Borneo, East Kalimantan, where at least 31,000 years ago — whose left calf and part of his left foot were amputated, possibly in childhood, and the patient survived the operation, surviving at least 6 to 9 years

Dr Vlok, a bioarchaeologist and expert on ancient bones at the University of Sydney, said the discovery was "incredibly exciting and unexpected"

The skeleton of the young adult, probably in his 20s at the time of his death, was carefully buried in

The skeletal remains were discovered by archaeologists at Griffith University and the University of Western Australia just days before the border was closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020

When Dr.

An accident

Dr Vlok said that while it is not entirely clear what caused the amputation, the patient's neck fracture healed well and there was also trauma to the clavicle, which may have occurred

"It's an extremely rugged environment, with steep mountains dotted with caves that house some of the oldest paintings